Car body



Se t. 3, 1929 P. ARMSTRONG 4 CAR BODY Original Filed Nov'. 2,. 1925 FIGURE 2 INVENTOR ATTOBN EY Pie-um: 5

Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,727,044 PATENT- oFF1c LYMAN P. ARMSTRONG, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

can BODY.

Continuation of application Serial in). 66,319, filed November 2, 1925; This application riled August 22,

This application is a continuation of application No. 66,319, filed Nov. 2, 1925.

It is one object of the invention to provide a car body constructedin such a manneras to provide storage room for a large quantity of goods arranged in such a manner as to render any particular article readily accessible at all times.

It is another object to provide a body of the character indicated that may be readily transformed into a convenient passenger carrying vehicle.

It is still another object of the invention to provide suitable covers for the whole body automatically raised by the driver in descending from the car to the ground, and automatically locked and unlocked in the raising and closing process.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the car parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a half-section on 33, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail of a portion of the car equipped with a seat.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I show at 1 a partial outline of a motor truck chassis on which are mounted a number of spaced A shaped supporting frames 2, through the apices of which runs a shaft 3.

Between each two adjoining frames and near the upper portion thereof is mounted a horizontal plate 4 having sides 5 extending upwardly a distance at an angle of substantially forty-live degrees thereto.

At 6-6, 77, 8-8, 99, 1010, 11-11, are shown pairs of channel iron bars, the two bars of each pair being mounted in opposed relation to each other on opposing A frame faces and at an angle of substantially twenty degrees to the horizontal and supporting shelves 6 7 8, 9 10, 11, as shown. These bars extend a distance beyond the" sides of frames 2 and are supported by braces 12 extending from the ridge to the outer end of lower bars 11 and bent at theircenters so that their upper halves lie at an angle of about thirty-five degrees to the horizontal,

Serial No. 216,537.

and their lower halvesat an angle of about eighty degrees to the horizontal.

1 Connecting the outer ends of the bars 11 is an angle bar13 arranged to form a socket 14 parallel with the ends of the said bars.

At 15 are shown a number of spaced ribs revolubly mounted on shaft 3 and of the same length as the upper halves of braces 12, and hinged as at 16 to these ribs are ribs 17 having the same lengthas the lower halves of braces 12. Blocks 18-19 are mounted on the inner sides of ribs 15- 17 adjacent to iinges 16 to operate as stops and maintain the lower ribs in an extended position When these parts are raised as hereinafter set forth. These ribs are all covered with a wire netting as 20 and suitable cloth as 21, and may be fitted with Windows if so desired.

These roof portions are manipulated in the following manner. Fixedly mounted on the forward end of shaft 3 is a bell crank 2323 its two arms lying at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to each other and normally spaced a distance from the planes of the upper halves of the roof. To arm 23 is attached a cable 24 operating over a pulley 25 and extending down one side of the car body to a rod 29. Rod 29 is slidably mounted in a vertical guide 27 as shown and fitted with a catch 28 engageable with the hole 45 in guide 27. A corresponding structure 26 27 28" is positioned on the opposite side of the car. Shaft 3 carries several bell cranks as 30, 31, 32, 33, operating as a unit with 23 and under the roof structure described. The rod 29 carries a step 26.

By means of this construction, when the driver steps onto the step 26 in descending to the ground, the depression of the step operates the several bell cranks to raise the roof on that side of the car to the position 34, thereby rendering all of the shelves and con tents readily available. The roof on the opposite side is of course raised in the same manner. I

For locking. these roof portions in position I provide catches 35 on blocks 18, the bolts of which engage sockets 36 on blocks 19 and securely'lock the roof portions in position with their lower edges in sockets 14. I

Mounted on each rib 15 is a bell crank 37 connected by a wire 38 to catch 35 and having an arm extending upwardly between the corresponding bell crank arms 30 and ribs 15.

Vhen the shaft 3 is operated to raise arm it first operates bell crank 87 to release catch and then its continued movement lifts the roof out of socket 14 and up to position 3% as described. c

When it is desired to use the car as a passenger vehicle then the shelves are removed and canvas chairs 39 are stretched down from supports 40 and back over supports ll and then forwardly over supports 42 as shown, the bottom part 11 serving as a foot board. I

It may now be seen that I have provided a structure wherein a large quantity of goods may be carried in readily accessible positions and fully protected from thieves, the elements etc. The driver simply descends on one step and in doing so carries it down until it engages the catch 28. T he roof by this process has been raisedand held in position so he'can climb up the shelves as a ladder to quickly reach all points. 'VVhen through he places his foot on the step and pushes out the catch, grasps the handle 43 on the 'body and ascends to the seat, the Weight of the roof returning the step to its normal position and assisting in the drivers ascent.

The position of the step when the roof is raised is indicated by the dotted line 47, and when the roof on the opposite side of the car is raised, at 46. 7 By means of the catch 28 the step is locked in a depressed position upon removing the foot from one edge thereof in descending, and unlocked by placing the foot upon the other edge when about to ascend.

I claim:

A car body comprising a framework having itssides sloping upwardly and inwardly a distance and then sharply "inwardly to a ridge, a shaft mounted at the ridge of the frame longitudinally thereof, aroof for each side of the frame hingedly mounted at the ridge and jointed at the junction of itsupper and lower portions, stop elements arranged in the angle between each upper and lower portion to prevent collapse when raised, locking means inserted in said angle, means for rotating the shaft in either direction to raise either side of said roof, and shaft operated" means for actuating said locking means, the said body having a socket formed along each lower side edge to receive the lower edge of the adjacent roof portion.

LYMAN P. ARMSTRONG 

